Kung Fu

**Matt D** · 31-01-2005, 20:35

I've recently been thinking about trying to learn Kung Fu, & wondered if anyone here does it or has done it.

What's it like for complete beginners with absolutely no martial arts knowledge or experience? Is it really hard to get into? Or do you generally start out easily, & have a good learning curve?

I assume there are different styles..... can anyone recommend any in particular? Or say why the one they've done is good or not?

Kliro · 31-01-2005, 20:40

What do you want this for? Self defence or leisure?

I've tried judo and akido, and found neither were for me.

I'm thinking about kick-boxing/thai kick-boxing, as these help keep you fit, are a hobby, and very good for self defence!

31-01-2005, 20:45

If you want to learn self defence, go to self defence classes, don't try to learn an "art".

Self defence is about doing the things that you're not allowed to do in a Martial Arts dojo fight (fingers in eyes, kicking for kneecaps etc) and you don't want to spend a few years learning those things if you're going to need them sooner than that.

Other things to consider: go and watch the class and see what people are doing. Are they exercising within the body's natural range of movements or going for "fancy techniques"? Also are they throwing full strength punches and kicks into empty air? If so, be concerned because this is *not* good for your joints in later years.

Another thing to watch out for is "body conditioning" (eg hitting your shins or arms with weights to make them capable of taking hits) again, this can lead to problems in later years.

Those are a few things to consider (there are more!)

Scrubbs · 31-01-2005, 20:49

I have done kung fu years ago but switched over to Tai chi as it was part of the same thing "the seven strands of the brocade"
It is called Feng shou or " hand of the wind" and it is taught in the "Lee family style" (get googling

)
It depends on yourself wether one style is good or not, Join a club or watch a video's of the different styles
When I trained the first 2 years were only defence before any attacking was done apart from basics for training

I have to ask, why do you want to do it?

having read some posts before I got this on the board some points

The classes i went to never had any competitions or anything like that because what we were learning was real life stuff, we all wore soft shoes and never broke bits of wood or anything like that.

**Matt D** · 31-01-2005, 20:57

Hmm, tbh, I don't really quite know why & what for.

Main thing is that one of my friends is thinking of doing it, & it's got me curious, plus I've had the odd idea about doing some sort of martial art on & off for a while now.

More "leisure" than self-defence, I guess...something to learn, something different & interesting to do.

Cheers for all the input so far

Scrubbs · 31-01-2005, 20:59

Go along with your mate and watch, they shouldn't mind

ikthius · 31-01-2005, 21:11

Hi there,

I have done kung fu for 4 years now and I love it.....

Our Kung Fu is called Lan Jung Kuen, but to be totally honest what we really do is Lau Gar, the biggest Kung Fu in Britain.

We do not call it Lau Gar because of politics, no one really knows why, it has had so many different explanations, but Master Lau who is head of Lau Gar is ok with it, as far as I am aware.

Anyone can do Kung Fu, depending on style, ours is not too fancy and we do do competitions if that is what your into, I personally prefer to get my grades.
I started when I was 25 and someone started not that long ago who is about 40, so age does not matter.

you do not have to be fit to start Kung Fu, because you will gert fitter as you go on, your flexibility will improve and your strength & speed will improve.

the best info I can give you is to look into which style you would like to do, then if it is near you go along and chat to the instructor,/watch a class and if you can try a class.

I have found that I have gained more confidence that I can see when a fight is coming now, so I can try to avoid one...e.g. run away, but if I can't I hope that I can handle myself by using what I know.

you will be taught mainly an art to get grades in Kung Fu terms a sash, but you will also get taught self defence.

you could take a look at my site which is for my Kung Fu club, there are links in the links page so you can get more of an understanding.

good luck.

ik
p.s. www.woskf.co.uk

Ramrod · 31-01-2005, 21:17

'Kung Fu' (iirc) just means 'hard work' in Chinese

If by wanting to study kungfu you mean a Chinese martial art (as opposed to Japanese/Israeli/French etc) than you can opt for either internal or external arts. This refers to how energy (chi) is utilised.
The internal arts are Hsing-I, Ba Gua and Tai Chi. It's incredibly difficult, in my experience, to find any Hsing-i or Ba Gua instruction here and fairly difficult to find Tai Chi being taught as a martial art. Tai Chi is a close range martial art (sometimes very close range

)
It takes about three years to learn the basic form in Tai Chi and ten years to become able to actually use it properly.
Onto the external styles.......Shaolin kung fu and Wing Tsung are probably the best known ones.
Wing Tsung is mainly concerned with middle to close range fighting and is noted for it's low kicks.
Shaolin takes in long to close range and uses high kicks, long punches. There are many other similar styles like Mantis and Shantung that appear to be similar to Shaolin.
If you want to get proficient 'quickly' then go for an external style, better still go for Wing Tsung (it was allegedly designed to be easy to learn

)
In my experience, Tai Chi is the most 'nasty' martial art I have come across.....eye gouging, headbuts, shoulder strikes........but the problem is in finding a decent instructor.
However, imo, if you want to learn to fight effectively in a hurry, take up boxing.

edit.....damn..........forgot about Lau Gar.......sorry ikthius

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham

If you want to learn self defence, go to self defence classes, don't try to learn an "art".

Self defence is about doing the things that you're not allowed to do in a Martial Arts dojo fight (fingers in eyes, kicking for kneecaps etc) and you don't want to spend a few years learning those things if you're going to need them sooner than that.

Other things to consider: go and watch the class and see what people are doing. Are they exercising within the body's natural range of movements or going for "fancy techniques"? Also are they throwing full strength punches and kicks into empty air? If so, be concerned because this is *not* good for your joints in later years.

Another thing to watch out for is "body conditioning" (eg hitting your shins or arms with weights to make them capable of taking hits) again, this can lead to problems in later years.

Those are a few things to consider (there are more!)

Excellent post!

Halcyon · 31-01-2005, 22:01

I admire people who know how to defend themselves. I have only tried it once at an initiation session but people who can master it well are pretty cool.
You are going to be the next Jackie Chan or whatever his name is.

Mike · 31-01-2005, 22:11

Hi all

Before anyone takes up Kung fu this may be of interest !

http://www.kontraband.com/show/show.asp?ID=339&rtn=index-alltimetopten

Please note swearing and very Violent

AndrewJ · 31-01-2005, 22:14

Been interested in martial arts for a while, gf fancies having me in for Samuri Lessons, shes already half way through to top level.... note to self..dont annoy her while swords are in the room.

iron25 · 31-01-2005, 22:14

I agree with Ramrod, if self defence is what you are after then in my opinion the best option is boxing. Most fights are scrappy affairs and what you see in movies is just complete fantasy. Most martial arts are good for self defence once you become extremely competent and can perform the moves without really thinking about them but that takes alot of time and effort. I studied karate once and found the repetition of the moves boring so gave up. In real life situations where you need to defend yourself both boxing and judo would be more beneficial than being able to do a roundhouse kick to the head.

If you are looking into studying a martial arts then take a look at wing chun. It's commonly regarded as one of the best martial arts to study and benefits those of a slightly small stature because it does not necessarily rely on speed and strength. The idea is that you should still be able to perform the same moves whether your 28 or 78.

I do think that a seriously skilled martial artist is someone not to be messed with. I watch a program on BBC3 which showed various martial arts and there was this old guy that did karate and it was impressive the way he was able to incapacitate the host with just two fingers in the right pressure points

ikthius · 31-01-2005, 22:19

mind, body and kick ass moves.......

ik

**Russ B** · 31-01-2005, 22:26

Brown belt in Hong Lung Do Kung Fu here

It's all down to what you feel comfortable with - KF tends to benefit people with little strength but lots of speed, so it's ideal for women. Most styles target 'soft' areas which don't need power for an effective strike, such as eyes, throat, joints, solar plexus. Within the styles of KF there are some which benefit women even more, for example there are certain kicks which only women can produce properly (due to the hips being able to open differently for men/women).

If you are using KF for self defence, try to find a class which does a degree of weapons training as you never know when some idiot will come at you with a broken bottle or snooker cue, and some traditional styles will have training with (fake) knives and katanas which will give you some experience of this.

PM me for more info if you like

iron25 · 31-01-2005, 22:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by ikthius

mind, body and kick ass moves.......

ik

The show was alright but I thought they could have made it better by showing us how really effective martial arts can be. I thought the scene in the pool hall was really good when he told that big guy to swing a snooker cue at him. That guy really let rip and was subsequently thrown to the floor with relative easy. Coooool